More Than Meets the Eye
by MusicMeansEverything
Summary: A young woman makes her way into the ED but collapses shortly after. The staff don't know who she is or what has happened to her. Sam decides that she is just drunk but Tom thinks there might be more to the case. Will the pair manage to work together? Or will their working relationship break down and crumble?
1. Chapter 1

The young woman, no older than twenty, staggered into the ED. As she got to the desk where Noel was seated, she grasped it, obviously unstable and desperate to keep her balance.

"I think...I need to s-see a...doctor," she managed to stutter, though it was obvioulsy with great difficulty.

"Ok," Noel replied. "I just need to know your name and date of birth and then you can take a seat. I'm afraid there's a bit of a wait."

The girl looked blankly at Noel as though she was struggling to take in what he was saying.

"So, your name?" Noel prompted.

Tom had been watching what was going on while he was going through some files. The young woman was clearly not well and Noel looked like he needed some help so Tom walked over.

"Is everything ok?" he asked.

"I erm..." the girl said. "I can't..."

"I'm just trying to find out her name," Noel explained.

Tom put his hand on the girl's arm, causing her to turn and look at him. "What's your name?" he asked. He noticed the girl's grip on the desk slacken and her eyes seemed unfocused.

"I.." she began.

She suddenly fell sideways as she collapsed. Tom reacted quickly and caught her before sinking to the floor with her. He lay her down and shook her gently.

"Hello? Can you hear me?" He raised his voice. "Can I have some help here please?"

Fletch rushed over with a trolley and Tom picked the girl up and put her on it gently. They quickly made their way through to resus.

"Sam?" Tom called on the way. "We're going to need you in here!" 


	2. Chapter 2

"what happened?" Sam asked, putting on some gloves.

"I don't know," Tom shrugged as he checked her blood pressure. "She collapsed before Noel could get any of her details."

"Did she not say anything at all?"

"She was struggling to speak," Tom explained.

"She's probably just had too much to drink," Sam tutted.

"We don't know that," Fletch tried to reason.

"She didn't seem drunk," Tom agreed.

"She'll be a typical student," Sam stated. "She'll have had too much to drink and she'll have come here, wasting our time and resources."

"Sam!" Tom snapped, shocked. "You can't judge patients like that and you can't speak about them like that!"

"Her blood pressure's decreasing," Fletch warned the pair.

"What are her other symptoms?" Sam asked.

"Apart from the decreased blood pressure, I think she had memory impairment, drowsiness, confusion and she seemed disorientated," Tom told her

"Caused by alcohol," Sam stated.

"There's more t this than that," Tom replied stubbornly. "And I'm going to find out what it is." 


	3. Chapter 3

Tom left the patient in Fletch's capable hands while he went on a break. The girl had still not regained consciousness and Tom had no idea what was wrong with her. Zoe walked outside and stood next to him, taking a drag on her cigarette.

"What's the deal with that patient in resus?" she asked. "You can't keep her in there forever, we're short on beds."

"She's still unconscious and has a low blood pressure," Tom explained. "I don't really want to move her until I know what the problem is."

Zoe blew away the smoke from her mouth. "Has Sam got any ideas about what it could be?"

"She thinks she's just drunk."

"And you don't?"

"Sam didn't see what she was like when she arrived here. There's more to it than her having too much to drink-she couldn't even remember her own name."

Zoe frowned. "I think you're on to something Tom. It'd take more than a few vodkas to make you forget your name."

"I just don't know what else it could be," Tom explained.

"You'll figure it out."

"It's just," Tom hesitated for a moment. "I just feel like this is a chance to prove myself after everything that happened with the baby that had meningitis."

"Tom," Zoe said gently. "You don't have to prove yourself. You're an amazing doctor and it's time you realised that." 


	4. Chapter 4

"Tom?" Sam called as he walked past her. "Can I have a quick word please?"

"I've got to get back to the patient in resus," he explained.

"It won't take a minute. And it's actually about her."

"Sam, if you're going to have a go about-" Tom began.

"Stop and listen," Sam interrupted. "We're going to need that bed soon so I'm going to have it organised for her to be transferred to a ward."

"You can't do that-we don't even know who she is! She could have so many underlying illnesses and conditions that we don't know about! She could take a turn for the worse at any time!"

"Don't snap at me like that Tom! I'm right! She's most likely to drunk to function! You're getting too involved in this!"

The anger was evident in Tom's face. "No, you're just not getting involved enough! I happen to care about my patients!"

"I care!"

"Evidently," Tom replied sarcastically. "She's staying where she is and that's final! And if you're not going to help me figure out what's wrong with her then I'm going to have to do it on my own!" 


	5. Chapter 5

"How long has she been unconscious for?" Tom asked as he walked back into resus.

Fletch glanced up at the clock on the wall. "About four hours."

"And there's been no change in her condition?"

"No," Fletch answered, shaking his head.

Tess quietly opened the doors leading to the pair and poked her head into the room. "Fletch? Could I have a quick word please?"

Fletch looked over at Tom to check this was ok and Tom nodded in reply. "I can manage here."

Fletch left with Tess and Tom looked down at the young girl he was treating. Why had she been unconscious for so long? He saw her stir slightly so he rushed over to her side. Her eyes fluttered open and he smiled at her.

"Hi, my name's Tom and I'm a doctor here at Holby City Hospital. Can you tell me your name?"

"It's erm...my name's..."

"Can you not remember?" Tom asked, slightly anxiously.

"No!" the girl replied, obviously panic-stricken.

"What year is it?" Tom asked. "Who's the prime minister?"

"I don't know! Oh my God-I can't remember!"

"It's ok, you're ok," Tom soothed as she burst into tears. But he was silently panicking too-what had caused her to lose her memory this way? 


End file.
